It’s that time of year again. The exam results are in, the clearing process concluded and mummy’s babies will soon fly the nest to start life at college or university.
While many new students will go straight into private rented accommodation, for others, halls of residence are a popular choice as they can help freshers make new friends in a strange city.
And so, as autumn arrives, campuses across the land will be gearing up for the arrival of thousands of teenagers who’ve never lived away from home.
If the prospect of dealing with a few hundred of them doesn’t put you off a career in property, read on!
In a halls of residence, an accommodation manager, aka hall manager or domestic bursar, is responsible for making sure the place is run efficiently, kept safe and clean and any maintenance issues are dealt with swiftly.
They must also make sure budgets are kept to and administration is up to date.
Much of the role is to also do with people management: hiring and training staff and drawing up rotas for colleagues, such as the Facilities Manager.
Workload varies throughout the year with the start of the academic year being the busiest as there are lots of new students to settle in – and usually with lots of questions to be answered: How does a cooker work? How come my dirty laundry is still in the basket?
Student vacation time can also be busy as many halls of residence are used by tourists for a good value holiday and those attending conferences.
Perks can include subsidised or even free meals (plus no washing up!) and reduced rate access to the university gym and sports facilities.
While working hours are between 37 and 40 hours a week, they may involve early starts and some late nights (who’d have believed students could need help late at night?).
Usually the hall manager will need to be on call for emergencies, so while the freshers are off painting the town red (again!) it’s cocoa and a book for you.
If you decide to move on, your experience means you can easily move into an accommodation management role in a different environment – such as a hotel, conference centre or even a cruise ship.
After the joys of student life, the world’s your oyster.
So take a look at the opportunities available right now on s1jobs